Saturday, May 4, 2013

At
some point in life, we all start getting money. And, at some point we
become comfortable with spending bits of it without being too afraid.
This post is a partly inspired thought experiment after I read the post
on Suspended Coffees (Read: 'Suspended coffee' helps those in need)
that went viral probably a month or two ago. The idea is that you pay
for an extra coffee in a restaurant and that can be given for free to
anyone else who might not have the money to buy one. In a time when
trust is really a rare commodity in our interactions in public, this
phenomenon inspired and moved me a great deal. I was determined to try
it out in my own locality (somewhere in India) to see how people react.
However, there is another question I have been battling in the past
year: how do I make spending money more fulfilling? So, let me tell you of the three instances where I tweaked this "suspension" experiment and the different things I felt. Part 1:First,
of course, was a straight replication of this suspension idea. I was
visiting a friend in Bombay and told him about suspended coffees. He was
also excited. So, while we are at the beach and this kid badgered us to
buy a rose, we thought of trying it out there. The way I saw it, was
simple. Buying a rose for someone we like at the beach seems so cliched
and corny. But, wouldn't it be really amusing if we randomly got a rose
that we never paid for (or realize we have an admirer whom we may never
meet)? So, we paid for a rose and the kid gave it to a boy clicking
pictures of himself at the beach. From what we could make out, the boy
was not only astonished but also a little intrigued. He was visibly
happy and I'd like to think it made his day.

Part 2: While I
was really happy with the rose incident, I kept asking as to what
really happened there which was disruptive. Some possible causes to
describe this: unexpected, good faith, personal gesture. So, I wondered
if I could buy other things in the same vein but increase the utility
part. And, the most obvious things I could think of were: food, travel
and education expenses. So, again while in Bombay I found a taxi driver
and gave him a hundred rupees. I roughly explained my idea to him - told
him to take people where they want and in the end deduct hundred
rupees. He seemed baffled but he could see the twinkle in my eyes. (This
may already seem a bit hipster to you) I am assuming he actually
executed my plan because he nodded in satisfaction, just like the rose
boy earlier.

Part 3: This I did in Delhi. For a year now I
have been not-so-broke and I can't recall the days when I used to be
down to a hundred bucks for the last week of the month. And then,
something came up for photocopying or printing. So, I went and gave
three hundred rupees to Sonu, my university's photocopier and told him
to use this for a day and offer free copies. My university has a very
high moral ground and such so I knew Sonu would do it. I went back to
him the next day and he told me that people spread this "offer" and used
it wholeheartedly, to copy anything and everything!

I am sure a
lot of you already do some form of charity. My mum also feeds X number
of needy people on special occasions. But, the purpose of my
experiment/exploration was different. I wasn't interested in generosity
or personal happiness or equality so much. And, I realized that was my
kick was in disrupting routines, seeing if I can momentarily change how
we are used to feeling about the world around us. When we don't have the
money for that taxi ride or photocopy or tattoo or movie or gift, money
seems like a really big deal. When we do have money, many of those
things don't seem so special anymore for several reasons. Can I make
money absolutely nothing by inserting it in places where people expect
to struggle for it? Money and struggle, the relationship is routine and
obvious - one that you can't escape. But, in this routine living is
where the jadedness seeps in and thinking for oneself (instrumental
reason) sets in. That is why deeds of kindness, honesty, loyalty etc
which are the given foundations of our society seem to take us by
surprise. At times using money against its own logic can give the
maximum satisfaction, at least to me.

Photo story

Me is

I am red and seeded. My father dreamt so much and my mother was too careful. My brother just gaped as he grew. My grandpa writes letters, my teachers rely on students, they are very apologetic as well.